2009 release. 2LP version. Fifth studio album from Iceland's eccentric pop maestros, múm. Sometimes Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know sounds naively utopic, but it always manages to stay effortless and pure. As usual, the songs are brimming with unusual sounds, this time much of the songs revolve around a lightly prepared piano, hammered dulcimer, a string quartet, marimbas, guitars, ukuleles, and in the background of a few of the songs one can hear Örvar's parent's parakeet singing with the piano. The album was recorded in countless different places in four different countries, although most of it was done in múm's native Iceland. Gunnar Örn Tynes moved to a cabin in the countryside where much of the album sprang to life, but as always, múm had a hard time staying put and recorded in both Estonia and Finland. In Estonia they borrowed a beautiful, many hundred-year-old house in Leigo, a place with hundreds of lakes, where they wrote new songs and recorded with the Estonian Suisapäisa mixed choir. Much of the music was hatched in the middle of Iceland's political turmoil and uprising at the time. The Icelandic government was forced to resign after intermittent civil unrest and the constant banging of pots and pans. By stretching the imagination, one can imagine a link between the turbulent political situation and the serene idealism hidden in the music.

You don't need to be Freud to regard teeth as a delicate issue. They can make joy look joyous and pain look painful, and on the cover of the new múm album they do both at the same time. Smilewound is another example of the band's art of juxtaposing two conflicting meanings and taking advantage of the energy created through the tension between both. Sparser in sound than many of its predecessors, Smilewound is an airy, relaxed record. The múm core duo of Örvar and Gunni doesn't make you laugh out loud (except maybe for the quirky vintage arcade-sound-start of "When Girls Collide"), but it will make you smile often -- despite the heavenly voices singing about violence in one form or another in most songs. Musically, múm's capability to build playful electronic sound-ornaments around simple melodies is in full bloom. And these days they know that trimming the ornamentation can strengthen the melody. Take "The Colorful Stabwound": an aguish drum 'n' bass piece and Smilewound gets close to a straight pop-song. Even that isn't very close, but it combines its rhythmic strength with a simple yet effective piano-line and the soothing lushness of a female voice to something compelling that follows you like the smell of a delicate eau de toilette. Or "Candlestick," which started out as a little ditty strummed on an acoustic guitar many years ago and has grown into this bouncy piece of synth-pop that changes its musical colors every couple of beats until you feel comfortably dizzy. Perfect pop in very fancy clothes. No wonder that antipodean pop-princess Kylie Minogue wanted to collaborate with múm on "Whistle," the main song in 2012 movie Jack & Diane. Recorded in, among other places, the band's practice space, an old Baltic farmhouse and on the kitchen table after dinner, the album was produced by múm themselves. And being the revolving collective they are, it comes as no surprise that we see the return of former member Gyda. Defining satellites as part of the core fits nicely with the band's penchant for ambivalence -- in fact, that's part of the album's charm.

Gatefold LP version. You don't need to be Freud to regard teeth as a delicate issue. They can make joy look joyous and pain look painful, and on the cover of the new múm album they do both at the same time. Smilewound is another example of the band's art of juxtaposing two conflicting meanings and taking advantage of the energy created through the tension between both. Sparser in sound than many of its predecessors, Smilewound is an airy, relaxed record. The múm core duo of Örvar and Gunni doesn't make you laugh out loud (except maybe for the quirky vintage arcade-sound-start of "When Girls Collide"), but it will make you smile often -- despite the heavenly voices singing about violence in one form or another in most songs. Musically, múm's capability to build playful electronic sound-ornaments around simple melodies is in full bloom. And these days they know that trimming the ornamentation can strengthen the melody. Take "The Colorful Stabwound": an aguish drum 'n' bass piece and Smilewound gets close to a straight pop-song. Even that isn't very close, but it combines its rhythmic strength with a simple yet effective piano-line and the soothing lushness of a female voice to something compelling that follows you like the smell of a delicate eau de toilette. Or "Candlestick," which started out as a little ditty strummed on an acoustic guitar many years ago and has grown into this bouncy piece of synth-pop that changes its musical colors every couple of beats until you feel comfortably dizzy. Perfect pop in very fancy clothes. No wonder that antipodean pop-princess Kylie Minogue wanted to collaborate with múm on "Whistle," the main song in 2012 movie Jack & Diane. Recorded in, among other places, the band's practice space, an old Baltic farmhouse and on the kitchen table after dinner, the album was produced by múm themselves. And being the revolving collective they are, it comes as no surprise that we see the return of former member Gyda. Defining satellites as part of the core fits nicely with the band's penchant for ambivalence -- in fact, that's part of the album's charm.

Electronic pop fruitcakes múm return with a single, before coming up with a whole new album later in 2013. "Toothwheels" starts off with echoes of their millennium-era rhythms, which morph into shadows. Flourishing strings and teeming arpeggios elevate the track, which spins along in a cyclical motion before being washed away. The lulling vocals disguise the song's fatalistic lyrics, evoking an eerie sense of immateriality. "Cranes Like Ships" is built around booming electronic beats and confused synthesizers, but it's a much happier affair.

2009 release. Fifth studio album from Iceland's eccentric pop maestros, múm. Sing Along... recalls sand running through fingers or ripples on a lake; it's an ode to the light in its different shapes, from a fading bulb to the blinding sun. Alternately sunny and melancholy, Sing Along... flows like the tides: now ebullient, now brooding, cacophony resolving into tight melody. For Sing Along... , múm work with their trademark variegated instrumental palette, this time including a lightly-prepared piano, hammered dulcimer, a string quartet, marimbas, guitars, ukuleles - and in the background of a few tracks, a parent's pet parakeet singing along with the piano. Joined by a multitude of talented instrumentalists, the core múm duo of Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason recorded this masterwork in many idyllic locations across Europe including a cabin in the Icelandic countryside and a centuries-old mansion in Estonia's lakeland, where they were joined by a local choir.

múm presents a compilation of 15 tracks, all of them recorded between 1998-2000 and long-lost or extremely rare, taken from demo tapes or limited edition vinyl releases. It is the year 1998: what might have been the first decade in the history of pop music that was characterized by an overwhelming sense of fragmentation is drawing to a close. Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason have been making music together as múm for about a year at this point -- though it's not like anyone really took note of them or cared back in 1998. The two bandmates are basically nomadic drifters: they are constantly moving from one basement studio to the next, traveling through Europe, recording anything and everything that comes to mind, sampling, playing around, mixing, recombining things, and ultimately marveling at the results. And then, at a theater production, Gunnar and Örvar meet twin sisters Kristín and Gyða. And then there were four. Early Birds is all about those days: It's a compilation of 15 tracks, all of them recorded between 1998-2000 and long-lost or extremely rare, taken from demo tapes or limited edition vinyl releases. Accordingly, you'll find not only a track from the aforementioned theater production, but also the yet-unreleased "Hvernig Á Að Særa Vini Sína," a fan favorite ever since, that was included on the soundtrack to the movie The Exploding Girl. múm had a trademark even back in the earliest days: their compositions were all about melodies. Yet, that's about the only thing these 15 songs have in common. Especially the first half of the compilation focuses more on the playful, "full of beans"-type of experimental tracks: pastiche and experimentation are key, and it's anything-goes indeed: they go from hyped-up pre-electronica to jazzy drum & bass, and they aren't even afraid to present a double-neck guitar solo à la Hair Metal done kiddie-style. However, the second half of the album is comprised of those quieter, rather massive múm tracks, with only a few analog layers, harmonious and blissful, revolving around each other for minutes. These tracks are somehow reminiscent of minimal music, but then again, they are simply too charming, too wistful and clearly not made for academics. Early Birds ends with a contemplative piece that's 10 minutes long and comprised of field recordings, harmonica, accordion, and lots of room for reverb. This final track ultimately became the "Ballad Of The Broken String" on múm's debut album Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK (MORR 058CD), though this early version is indeed quite different. When the debut dropped, múm had found their sound. The rest is history: The band was hailed as a key exponent of "electronic," and with every release, they sounded more and more unique and complete -- only to become what might be Iceland's most original band today. Features nostalgic artwork by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, who experienced the early days of múm first-hand. Also includes a booklet that explains how each of the 15 (mostly instrumental) tracks came about.

Gatefold double LP version. múm presents a compilation of 15 tracks, all of them recorded between 1998-2000 and long-lost or extremely rare, taken from demo tapes or limited edition vinyl releases. It is the year 1998: what might have been the first decade in the history of pop music that was characterized by an overwhelming sense of fragmentation is drawing to a close. Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason have been making music together as múm for about a year at this point -- though it's not like anyone really took note of them or cared back in 1998. The two bandmates are basically nomadic drifters: they are constantly moving from one basement studio to the next, traveling through Europe, recording anything and everything that comes to mind, sampling, playing around, mixing, recombining things, and ultimately marveling at the results. And then, at a theater production, Gunnar and Örvar meet twin sisters Kristín and Gyða. And then there were four. Early Birds is all about those days: It's a compilation of 15 tracks, all of them recorded between 1998-2000 and long-lost or extremely rare, taken from demo tapes or limited edition vinyl releases. Accordingly, you'll find not only a track from the aforementioned theater production, but also the yet-unreleased "Hvernig Á Að Særa Vini Sína," a fan favorite ever since, that was included on the soundtrack to the movie The Exploding Girl. múm had a trademark even back in the earliest days: their compositions were all about melodies. Yet, that's about the only thing these 15 songs have in common. Especially the first half of the compilation focuses more on the playful, "full of beans"-type of experimental tracks: pastiche and experimentation are key, and it's anything-goes indeed: they go from hyped-up pre-electronica to jazzy drum & bass, and they aren't even afraid to present a double-neck guitar solo à la Hair Metal done kiddie-style. However, the second half of the album is comprised of those quieter, rather massive múm tracks, with only a few analog layers, harmonious and blissful, revolving around each other for minutes. These tracks are somehow reminiscent of minimal music, but then again, they are simply too charming, too wistful and clearly not made for academics. Early Birds ends with a contemplative piece that's 10 minutes long and comprised of field recordings, harmonica, accordion, and lots of room for reverb. This final track ultimately became the "Ballad Of The Broken String" on múm's debut album Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK (MORR 058CD), though this early version is indeed quite different. When the debut dropped, múm had found their sound. The rest is history: The band was hailed as a key exponent of "electronic," and with every release, they sounded more and more unique and complete -- only to become what might be Iceland's most original band today. Features nostalgic artwork by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, who experienced the early days of múm first-hand. Also includes a 16-page full-size booklet that explains how each of the 15 (mostly instrumental) tracks came about. Includes download code.

Iceland's Múm send seasonal greetings with this 7", containing two interpretations of conventional Icelandic Christmas songs: "Nú er Gunna á nýju skónum" ("Now Gunna is wearing her new shoes") and "Babbi segir" ("Daddy Says"), both of which are traditionally sung around the tree at Christmas dances. They are arranged for guitar, autoharp, kazoos and voices and are sung in (charming) terrible-beautiful style. Slightly festive stuff yet melancholic, floating somewhere between pure naiveté and lucid kitsch. With the addition of artwork by lead singer Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason and a coupon for a free download (with a a digital bonus track), this is the best Icelandic Christmas 7" put out all year.

In conjunction with múm's fifth album, Morr Music releases Prophecies and Reversed Memories: a 10" that contains one album track and two songs exclusive to this release. "Prophecies..." features a naive and overly-sweet chorus that gets more and more euphoric with its repetition, while "Amen Flutes" is an eccentric and strange pop song that builds up a glorious mess of sounds. To close, "Krippling" is a careful, fragile and heart-warming ballad that shows the band's adult side.

Classic debut Múm album, previously issued by Tugboat & Thule -- available again. Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today is OK was mostly recorded in a tiny, sweaty room in the summer of 1999 with carpenters banging nails around the band, but sometimes they put on headphones so they couldn't hear them. It was originally released on an Icelandic label called Thule, but early on a number of disputes came up, which ended up dragging on for many years. Part of the attraction of the album is its mixture of analog instruments such as harmonica, accordion and glockenspiel with digital clicks and cuts. But what makes it so beautiful is that at no point does this combination feel constructed or forced. While listening to Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today is OK, you don't care how it was made, you're just enjoying that it exists.